Page 30 of His One True Wish

“I’m not getting out today, am I?” she whispered.

“You are not getting out until the snow stops and it warms up a bit.”

“Cool, cool, cool,” she said.

I knew without asking that there was nothing cool about any of this.

“Well, I know it’s not what you planned.”

She burst out laughing and paced back and forth in front of the window. “No.” She laughed, sounding a little unhinged. “It’s not. I mean I drove from Seattle to Denver and then decided to come here. What a great idea, am I right?”

“You couldn’t have known about the weather.”

“Yeah, well, if my mother hadn’t pissed me off by hiring my ex-best friend as her real estate agent, I might not be in this situation.”

“Excuse me, what?” I asked, totally not following.

“It doesn’t matter. It was a high school thing. My best friend made out with my boyfriend. I thought I loved him. She is a cheating boyfriend-stealer, and ever since then, I’ve done nothing but make terrible relationship decisions. Now I guess I just make bad decisionsperiod. This is my life now.” She stopped pacing and placed both hands on the mantle of the river-rock fireplace. “I’m not nuts,” she said, glancing back at me. She was acting totally nuts.

“Nope, you are not,” I agreed.

“I had to get away, and I just couldn’t be in that house.” Her voice caught, and she coughed, still looking at the fire. Her chest quivered as she breathed.

“Are you okay?” I asked softly.

She turned away from the fireplace and sank on her feet, leaning against one side of the mantle. Tears glinted in her eyes. She stared at the ceiling and inhaled slowly. “I’m not okay,” she whispered. “It feels good to admit it.”

“So a real estate agent stole your boyfriend?”

“He cheated on me,” she said, “in high school, with her.”

“You mean in high school, high school? Aren’t you, like, not in high school?”

“Ugh,” she said. “Of course I’m not in high school. It was a long time ago, but I can’t stand cheaters. People don’t change. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.”

“I see.”

“It’s unforgivable to betray someone, to break vows like that. My dad did it to my mom. My first boyfriend cheated on me, and so did my last. Men who cheat and the women who cheat with them are just terrible people. They are terrible, and I don’t want a terrible person selling my mom’s house. I just don’t.”

“You want some breakfast?” I said, getting up from the table. This felt a lot bigger than a high school grudge. It was also none of my business. I needed Billie to calm down and stay happy. She’d go home, leave my lease alone, and I could enjoy the rest of the year in Smoke River. It wasn’t that complicated.

“No,” she said, finally sitting down. “I’m sorry. I got a little carried away. It’s just been hard lately. And I think I’m still tired.”

“You’ve been distracted, and I do not judge you for showing up here without chains, without a hat … ” I smiled, hoping she saw the humor in the situation.

“I was a mess.” She smiled, her lower lip extended. “I want you to know that normally I don’t need help. It’s kind of my thing. I like to do things myself. I’m not used to that not working.”

“Well, I’m not used to being trapped. Neither of us can fix this. There is nowhere to go.”

“Nowhere to go,” she repeated, looking around the room until her eyes landed on me across the table.

“This is the kind of weather that ruins everybody’s plans. You want coffee?” I asked, nodding toward the kitchen. “I’ve got a stovetop maker and fresh ground espresso.”

She snorted a laugh. “No, I want to get out of here.”

“I get that, but I can tell you right now, before I do anything, I need good coffee.”

“Fine,” she said, turning around on her chair to watch me while I filled up my Italian moka pot with water.

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